When a user, as the owner of an information terminal, obtained information from a server via a network, the information terminal was connected physically to a fixed communication network, or to a mobile wireless network, and the information terminal accessed a server via a network such as the internet. In this case, communication speed and communication costs were different if the plurality of networks involved respectively different communication schemes. The user could respectively conclude connection service agreements with individual service providers that provide services over the networks having the separate communication schemes. In the service of providing a plurality of kinds of network connection, a connection time was purchased beforehand for a time-limited use charging. In addition, connection services have been provided that are billed on a monthly flat rate basis or on pay-as-you-go basis depending on data volume.
Prior art examples of the above are given below.
Japanese Patent No. 2939723 (Patent document 1) discloses a time-limited use charging system for internet wherein a terminal having client software installed therein is connected to the internet through dial-up to a port of an internet connection service provider, via a telephone line, such that connection is allowed until a connection frequency, set beforehand for each client and which denotes the time of available use, reaches 0 (zero) through subtraction.
Japanese Patent No. 3434271 (Patent document 2) discloses a network connection system, a connection fee calculation method in a network connection service, and a billing system in a network connection service, wherein a fee-charging classification pattern is recorded beforehand for each user, in cases where the line utilization fee is different depending on, for instance, the site of user access, and the person that pays the line utilization fee may be a sender or a recipient, and cases where billing companies that bill for the network connection service fee and for the line utilization fee are different entities, as a result of which, a billing address and sum for the line utilization fee are calculated referring to the charging pattern, and billing data is generated by totaling the service utilization fees.
Non-patent document 1 discloses a product “b mobile HOURS” (combination of PHS communication and public wireless LAN), in which there is provided an internet connection service through purchase beforehand of the number of hours, such that communication is enabled by selecting either PHS communication or public wireless LAN. If a public-line LAN is used, the service is such that usage is unlimited one day at a time, and five hours are subtracted from the time balance of the user, out of the purchased time.
Non-patent document 2 discloses a press release by Japan Communications Inc. on Mar. 10, 2009, of a product “b mobile 3G DOCCICA”, being a service in which the user buys beforehand usage time of use of a WCDMA network, and connection is available until the balance time is used up, such that communication is enabled by selecting either WCDMA communication (3G data communication) or public wireless LAN communication (WiFi). If a public line LAN is used, the service is such that usage is unlimited one day at a time, and 30 minutes are subtracted from the time balance.
Patent document 1: Japanese Patent Publication No. 2939723
Patent document 2: Japanese Patent Publication No. 3434271
Non-patent document 1 (Japan Communications Inc. press release of Mar. 15, 2005, “Japan Communications Inc. launches new b-mobile hours for casual-mobile internet”; internet <URL:1268273886156—1.html>
Non-patent document 2 (Japan Communications Inc. press release of Mar. 10, 2009, “Japan Communications Inc. introduces new charging scheme “Doccica”, by which wireless LAN can be used in Shinkansen and 3G 3G+WiFi can be easily used at the destination”; internet <URL:1268273886156—1.html>
Conventionally, fees have been determined based on the transmitted bit count or number of packets, in environments where communication takes place through connection to a server upon selection of an arbitrary network from among a plurality of networks. However, these data volumes depend on the web site and so forth, and on the expression of the information that is obtained via the network. Also, the data volume is often not definite beforehand at the time of accessing the information. Therefore, pay-as-you-go billing depending on packet volume was hard to understand for the user in that the volume of data for communication was difficult to predict. In a case where the service is provided under a monthly flat rate, for instance, the user paid a flat fee also for a month in which the service had hardly been used, which impressed the user as wasteful.
Network communication fees must be paid for each scheme when the communication network that the system can use spans a plurality of communication schemes. Also, depending on the communication network, the billing schemes may be based on amount of data used, flat rates or time rates, and are confusing for the user. In the case for instance of electronic mail, the volume of data that utilizes the network increases whenever an external mail arrives, even if the user is not particularly operating the terminal. In web browsing, by contrast, the data volume consumed varies depending on the purpose for which the network is used, such as network communication only at the time where the web is actually accessed for referring to information sites or the like. However, the billing system is often based exclusively on communication time or data communication volume, and it was thus hard for the user to feel intuitively that the communication fees are correctly priced.
A problem arose in that it was thus hard for the user to understand a time subtracting process depending on the network to be used in a case of a service such that one network out of a plurality thereof is selected for connection to the internet, and such that, for instance, the usage of the service is allowed until there are exhausted the number of connection hours, being the number of usage units, purchased in advance by the user, as the number of hours that the service can utilize any of the networks.